More shingles on the Venice Biennale 2026. Today, just days before the official opening,Iran announced that it will not take part in the 61st International Art Exhibition, scheduled for May 9 to November 22, 2026. The news was released through a statement issued by the Biennale, without further details on the reasons for the withdrawal. Iran’s absence is a significant element in an edition that officially has 100 national participations, updated after the March 4 announcement with the entry of Tanzania and Seychelles.
On the event’s official website, Iran was listed as the only country without artists to date, although it retained the name of the pavilion’s commissioner, Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani. The non-participation comes amid an already highly critical organizational and political situation that is marking the approach to the opening of the Venetian event.
In recent days, in fact, the Biennale has faced a further institutional shake-up with the sudden resignation of the international jury. The group, composed of Solange Farkas (president), Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, announced their decision through a statement released on a web platform, because their decision to effectively exclude Russia and Israel from voting was incompatible with the Biennale’s rules. An irremediable situation was created and the jurors resigned, forcing the Biennale to withdraw, at least for the time being, the awarding of the Golden Lions, and to invent new “Visitors’ Lions,” one for the best artist in the international exhibition and one for the best national participation, to be decreed by the public. A novel solution for the event that profoundly changes one of the most established aspects of its operation.
In fact, the same jury had expressed a willingness to exclude from consideration countries accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, a position that would have meant excluding Israel and Russia from competing for the awards. The decision to resign has thus opened a vacuum in the governance of the event, forcing the organizers to revise the way the awards are given.
At the same time, controversy continues related to the presence of the Israel and Russia pavilions. Numerous political and cultural figures, along with some artists and participants in the main exhibition curated by Kouoh, have called for the exclusion of the two countries from the show. The demands are part of a broader debate on the role of cultural institutions in relation to international conflicts and the responsibilities of states.
A scenario full of twists and turns, then, and Iran’s renunciation now appears to be the latest element of instability in an edition already marked by a series of extraordinary events. The absence of national participation, although not accompanied by official explanations, adds to the organizational difficulties and geopolitical tensions that are affecting the climate of the event. In any case, despite the critical issues, the Art Biennale 2026 is preparing to open its doors to the public and the international press (for which the preview is scheduled to run from May 5 to 8), maintaining its central role in the contemporary art scene. The events leading up to the opening, however, cannot help but raise questions about the future of the event and its ability to handle growing political and institutional pressures.
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| Iran renounces participation in Venice Biennale |
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